Recent Developments in Store Separation and Grid Survey Techniques Using the ARA Two Sting Rig.

摘要

The Two-Sting Rig system provides captive trajectory and grid survey testing in the ARA 2.74 m x 2.44 m transonic wind tunnel on models of the order of 10% scale. The system has been in productive operation since 1979, having been used primarily in the captive trajectory mode to predict release characteristics for a wide range of stores/aircraft. The paper describes the improvements and developments that have arisen from experience gained during the last two years of its operational use. A brief description is given of the general arrangement of the rig. Improvements to performance, simulation capabilities and to wind tunnel productivity are described together with current design studies for new applications. An appraisal of the overall performance of the method against 3 other ground-based techniques is used to illustrate its merits and defects, using results from recent Two-Sting Rig wind tunnel tests and flight.